Waynflete boys build lead, hold off Yarmouth

Waynflete senior Finn Scott makes a layup during the Flyers’ 55-47 home win over Yarmouth Wednesday night.

Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Waynflete 55 Yarmouth 47

Y- 10 10 11 16- 47
W- 17 15 7 16- 55

Y- Cox 5-2-13, Torres 3-2-9, Eckersley-Ray 3-2-8, Haywood 3-1-8, Hickey 3-0-8, Bolese 0-1-1

W- Campbell 5-1-11, Johnson 4-1-9, Mohammed 4-0-9, Scott 3-1-8, Dahia 2-1-6, Houssein 2-0-5, Levy 2-0-4, A. Saade 0-3-3

3-pointers:
Y (5) Hickey 2, Cox, Haywood, Torres 1
W (4) Dahia, Houssein, Mohammed, Scott 1

Turnovers:
Y- 21
W- 21

Free throws
Y: 8-14
W: 7-16

PORTLAND—Waynflete’s boys’ basketball team can go on a run at any time, something that visiting Yarmouth discovered the hard way Wednesday evening.

The Clippers held a 10-7 lead midway through the first quarter when they went cold and the Flyers caught fire.

Waynflete, behind the inside dominance of sophomore Dominick Campbell, closed the frame on a 10-0 run to seize control and added five more points at the start of the second period and by halftime, was up by a dozen, 32-20.

Yarmouth got as close as six points in the third quarter, but a late tip-in by Campbell made it 39-31 heading to the fourth period.

There, a 3-pointer from senior Finn Scott made it 51-39 with 2:32 to go, but the Clippers had one final push, drawing within five on a basket from senior Noah Eckersley-Ray with 1:23 on clock.

The Flyers weren’t about to let it slip away, however, and got layups from senior Musaid Mohammed and junior Solomon Levy and that slammed the door on a 55-47 victory.

Campbell led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points and Waynflete improved to 8-2 on the season, dropping Yarmouth to 4-8 in the process.

“We wanted to come out strong and finish strong and that’s what we did,” Campbell said. “A win was very important. It’s good for our mindset to get back to a winning mentality.”

Bouncing back

Each team came into play Wednesday seeking to rebound from a recent loss.

Yarmouth started the season with a 70-39 home loss to York, then suffered a 45-41 home setback to Freeport. After a 49-41 loss at Fryeburg Academy, the Clippers edged visiting Waynflete, 50-47. Yarmouth then lost at Gray-New Gloucester (58-52), won at Wells in overtime (52-49), fell at Traip Academy (50-45), edged visiting Cape Elizabeth (46-44), dropped a tough 43-42 home decision to Gray-New Gloucester, won at Lake Region, 64-35, and Monday, fell at home to two-time defending Class A champion Greely, 45-34.

Waynflete, meanwhile, opened by downing defending Class B South champion Wells, Class B South champion, 64-52. The Flyers then defeated visiting Traip Academy, 77-38 and host Cape Elizabeth (53-52). After falling at Yarmouth (50-47), Waynflete defeated host St. Dom’s (78-26), visiting Poland (66-47), visiting North Yarmouth Academy (76-40) and host Old Orchard Beach (82-28), but Saturday, the Flyers lost at Gray-New Gloucester, 61-50.

Yarmouth’s narrow victory Dec. 22 gave it a 7-3 all-time lead in the series (see sidebar, below) and was the Clippers’ fourth consecutive over the Flyers, although the past three have come by a total of six points.

Wednesday, Yarmouth hoped to do it again, but Waynflete managed to beat the Clippers for the first time since a 53-43 home win Jan. 6, 2015.

Senior Diraige Dahia got the hosts started with a 3-pointer and after Eckersley-Ray got Yarmouth on the board with a jumper, Campbell first made his presence felt, scoring on a short hook shot, then scoring on a putback for a 7-2 lead.

Back roared the Clippers, as senior Jonny Torres made a 3, Torres set up junior Aidan Hickey for a game-tying layup and with 3:51 left in the quarter, after Eckersley-Ray kept possession alive with an offensive rebound, senior Ashanti Haywood knocked down a 3-ball and Yarmouth had a 10-7 advantage.

And just as suddenly, the Flyers roared back.

A free throw from senior Alex Saade was followed by a Campbell putback to tie the score.

After Clippers senior Jake Rogers picked up his third foul and had to sit for the remainder of the first half, Scott set up Campbell for a layup with 2:30 to go in the first quarter and Waynflete had the lead for good.

Mohammed added a 3-pointer and after junior Askar Houssein entered the game, seeing his first action in nearly four weeks, Houssein stole the ball and fed Scott for a layup and a 17-10 advantage after eight minutes.

The good times continued for the Flyers early in the second period, as after a Houssein steal, sophomore Jared Johnson made a layup, after a Johnson block at one end, Houssein set up Dahia for a breakaway layup, and with 6:11 remaining in the first half, Johnson made a free throw to extend the lead to 22-10.

“We decided we needed to press,” said Waynflete coach Rich Henry. “Having played them before, we knew what we wanted to do and where we wanted to force the ball and it worked out well.”

“I think we let down on both ends of the court,” said Yarmouth coach Jonas Allen. “For us, everything starts with defense. We’re not a great shooting team. If we let up on the defensive end, things get away from us really quick. I didn’t recognize my own team for some of the first half in terms of defense. We haven’t given up transition layups all season.”

A Torres free throw one minute later ended the 15-0 run and a 6-minute, 40-second drought and Eckersley-Ray added a foul shot before two free throws from sophomore Will Cox pulled Yarmouth within eight.

Scott got a point back at the line, but senior Robert Bolese made a free throw for the Clippers and Eckersley-Ray knocked down a turnaround jumper to cut the deficit to 23-17.

Yarmouth wouldn’t draw any closer in the half, as Houssein hit a clutch 3 and after Eckersley-Ray made a foul shot, Johnson made a layup to push the lead back to double digits.

Late in the half, Cox fed Haywood for a layup, but Johnson set up Levy for a layup and Houssein fed Johnson for a layup and a 32-20 halftime advantage.

In the first 16 minutes, Campbell led the way with eight points and three rebounds and the Clippers were hindered by 11 turnovers.

In the third period, Yarmouth tried to rally, but Waynflete didn’t let it happen.

Eckersley-Ray set up Torres for a layup to start the second half, but Johnson countered with a layup for the Flyers.

After Haywood made a free throw, Rogers returned and fed Torres for a layup to cut the deficit to 34-25, but Campbell made a free throw, then after a highlight reel spin move, Houssein added a reverse layup to make the lead a dozen.

Cox and Hickey countered with 3s to make it a six-point game, but with 29.5 seconds on the clock, Campbell tipped in his own miss and Waynflete took a 39-31 advantage to the fourth period.

There, after a few anxious moments, the Flyers put it away.

Saade opened the frame with a free throw, but Cox made a jumper, then Cox took a pass from Hickey and made a layup with 5:08 to go to pull the Clippers within six, 41-35.

Again, Waynflete countered, as Dahia made a free throw, Scott stole the ball and made a layup and Mohammed hit a leaner for an 11-point lead with 3:53 remaining.

After Haywood made a layup and Mohammed countered with a putback, Eckersley-Ray fed Cox for a layup to cut the deficit to nine.

The Flyers wouldn’t buckle, however, as Scott answered with a key 3-pointer to make it 51-39.

Yarmouth had one last push, as Hickey made a 3, Hickey fed Cox for a layup and Eckersley-Ray made a hook shot with 1:23 to go to cut the deficit to five.

The Clippers weren’t able to get a defensive stop, however, and with 1:12 left, Houssein found Mohammed for a layup.

Waynflete got the ball back and Houssein fed Levy for a layup to end all doubt.

One final free throw from Torres accounted for the 55-47 final score.

“I think our rebounding was much better (than last time we played them), we moved the ball much better and we hustled,” Campbell said.

“I think it was very important to win and I think the kids recognized the importance of it,” Henry said. “I called more timeouts tonight than I have in a long time to settle us down. When we settled down, we usually had a pretty good spurt.”

Campbell had 11 points and seven rebounds, with most of his damage coming early.

“Dominick is a great student, a great kid and a great post player and I think it’s in that order,” Henry said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he’s worked on his footwork and post presence. He’s someone we want to feed the ball to.”

Johnson and Mohammed added nine points apiece, Scott (three assists and three steals) finished with eight and Dahia contributed six.

Houssein had five points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals.

“There are pieces of the puzzle that fit together and if you’re missing a piece sometimes it affects how you play,” Henry said. “I was very pleased with the way the guys played when Askar wasn’t with us and now, we’re trying to continue the chemistry and ball movement with him. Adding a player like him is a boon for us.”

Levy finished with four points (and seven rebounds) and Saade had three (as well as three steals).

“We just got our stats and I think our leading scorer averages 11 points,” Henry said. “That balance is good for us and it speaks to the contributions we’re getting.”

The Flyers had a slim 36-35 edge on the glass, overcame 21 turnovers and made 7 of 16 foul shots.

Yarmouth was paced by Cox, who was terrific off the bench, scoring 13 points and adding five rebounds and a pair of assists.

“Will was amazing,” Allen said. “He’s getting better every day. He’s a stabilizing force. He’s fundamentally sound. He’s got an incredibly bright future in this program. He works hard every single day. That was his best game of the year.”

Torres had nine points, Eckersley-Ray eight (to go with a game-high 11 rebounds and four assists), Haywood (seven rebounds, four steals) and Hickey (five assists) eight apiece and Bolese one.

The Clippers made 8 of 14 free throws and were hindered by 21 turnovers.

“That game got away from us when they made a couple shots, then suddenly, we didn’t play defense and if we don’t play defense, we won’t win many games,” Allen said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Back to the drawing board

Yarmouth (now eighth in the Class B South Heal Points standings) will try again Friday when it goes to Freeport. Monday brings a trip to Cape Elizabeth.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” Allen said. “I don’t think I realized just how tough our schedule is. It’s every night. There’s nothing easy. If we don’t play 32 minutes of defense, we’ll be in trouble.”

Waynflete (second behind Winthrop in Class C South) is on the road Friday at Traip Academy. Tuesday of next week, the Flyers face a key home test against Freeport.

“We’ve got to work on foul shooting and get more rebounds and come closer together as a family,” Campbell said. “We can go on a run.”

“I feel pretty good,” Henry said. “We talk about how important January is and it’s a blur. We have a day of practice, then we’re down at Traip. They’re playing really well right now, then we have Freeport. We have to really focus in. From a psychological standpoint and from a pride standpoint, we want to finish as high as we can (in the Heal Points).”